20 Examples of Ionic Bonding - encyclopedia

To form the molecules of the chemical compounds, the atoms of the different substances or elements must combine with each other in a stable way, and this can occur in various ways by virtue of the structural characteristics that every atom has, which, as we know, consists of a positively charged nucleus surrounded by a cloud of electrons.

The electrons are negatively charged and remain close to the nucleus because the electromagnetic force attracts them. The closer an electron is to the nucleus, the greater the energy required to get it to release.

But not all elements are the same: some have a tendency to lose the outermost electrons of the cloud (elements with low ionization energy), while others tend to capture them (elements with high electron affinity). This happens because according to the Lewis octet rule, stability is associated with the presence of 8 electrons in the outermost shell or orbital, at least in most cases.

Then how there may be loss or gain of electrons, ions of opposite charge can be formed, and the electrostatic attraction between the ions of opposite charge causes them to join and form simple chemical compounds, in which one of the elements gave up electrons and the other received them. So that this can happen and a ionic bond it is necessary that there is a difference or delta of electronegativity between the elements involved of at least 1.7.

The ionic bond usually occurs between a metallic compound and a non-metallic one: the metal atom gives up one or more electrons and consequently forms positively charged ions (cations), and the nonmetal gains them and becomes the negatively charged particle (anion ). The alkali metals and alkaline earth metals are the elements that have the most tendency to form cations, and halogens and oxygen are those that usually constitute anions.

As usual, compounds that are formed by ionic bonds are solids at room temperature and high melting point, soluble in water. In solution they are very good conductors of electricityas they are strong electrolytes. The lattice energy of an ionic solid is what marks the attractive force between the ions of that solid.

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